


Summer Camp

by blank1980



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:19:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blank1980/pseuds/blank1980
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam will never forget his last summer at Camp Pinewood, nor will he ever forget the little blond he's still in love with years later...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Camp

_I remember the summers I spent at Camp Pinewood like it were only yesterday. I remember the tall pine trees and the lake that seemed to shimmer when the sun kissed the surface of the water. I remember red canoes and orange life vests. I remember_ _lemonade, bandanas,_ _swimming trunks, campfires, and the feeling of warm marshmallow stuck to my fingers. I remember secrets whispered in the dark and the promise to be_ _always together_ _forever and ever_ _._

_I remember the pieces of colorful string woven together to form triangular patterns and I made a green bracelet secretly because it was your favorite color and you made a blue bracelet because you knew I loved the color of your eyes. But what I remember most of all is you._

_The way your eyes lit up when you spoke about Ireland. Your laugh that sounds as ridiculous as it is beautiful, as loud as it is a song that lingers in the back of your mind and never lets you forget. And I remember the day it rained all day and we were cuddled up in my bunk, just listening to the sound and you jumped when you heard the thunder and the lightning, but I held you in my arms to let you know that you were safe. And I can still see your eyes peering up at me as if to say "is it safe to come out now?" and I laughed and you playfully slapped my arm and then you did it; you placed a soft kiss on my lips... my first kiss, our first kiss._

_Every year I'd come back to Pinewood more excited to see you than the year before. You would always greet me with a huge smile and I'd hold my arms out wide to hug you tightly. And we wandered the camp grounds exploring, looking for frogs and fishing. We swam, we laughed, we played guitar and we grew up. I remember it all and I cherish those moments with my best friend._

_But what I will never forget is our last summer at Camp Pinewood. We were joined at the hip that summer. We stayed up late into the small hours of the morning, talking, and talking, and when the talking stopped, I kissed you... and you kissed me back! We kissed until our lips were bright red and swollen. We kissed behind the old boat house. We kissed underneath the old oak tree. We snuck into each other's bunks and kissed as we curled up to sleep at night. I couldn't help himself; I was so taken by you that I'd do almost anything you wanted._ _And we were just kids and maybe we almost got caught,_ _but you were worth_ _getting in trouble over,_ _you ARE worth it._

 _I remember the night before we left camp that summer. We sat on the dock and as the sun began to set, you told me that you loved me and even at 15, I knew I loved you too_ _and I meant it when I told you I loved you back_ _._

_And when the sky fell dark, you took my hand and we ran to the lake. Clothes were strewn here and there and we jumped into the lake, bathed in moonlight, naked, wild, and carefree. I remember feeling you pressed up tightly against me as we, kissed in the cool water. We kissed and we explored as we swam in the lake, though we didn't quite know what we were doing. Your legs were lazily wrapped around me waist as I lifted you up by your thick thighs and I remember rubbing up against one another to get as much friction as we could as we clumsily orgasmed. We kissed until our skin wrinkled and the sun was about to rise._

_The late August sun warmed our skin as we laid out on the small dock and we made said a thousand "I love yous" and promises we swore we could keep, knowing full well that this would be our last summer at Camp Pinewood. You placed your bracelet around my wrist and I gave you mine and we swore we'd never take_ _them off_ _and I never took it off._

 _We promised to be best friends forever, but we grew up and grew apart. And every summer, before we had to say our good-byes, we promised to write every day...and we did for awhile... and I still have your letters. But you were in Ireland and I was in England and I'm about to make the trek to London and start university today, and I can't stop thinking about you, about Camp Pinewood and the love that time and distance let slip away._  
\---  
Liam quickly closed his journal and packed it up into his knapsack. He stepped off the train and gathered his bags and hoped that this Louis Tomlinson was a nice guy.  
\---  
Liam knocked on the door and heard an excited Yorkshire accent tell him to come in. "Hey! I'm Louis and you must be Liam!" Liam nodded and shook the smaller boy's hand. "Once you're settled you should come meet my friend Harry!" Liam smiled and nodded.

"Lou!" Harry quickly ran over to Louis, grabbing Niall with him. "Hey! I was looking all over for you! Zee told me he met your new roommate; where is he? OH! Annnnnd this is Niall!" Harry said practically pushing Niall onto Louis. "Nice to meet you! Is Harry always this excited?" Niall says with a small laugh. "Hey Louis, I got lost; this campus is a maz... Niall?" Liam's eyes light up at the sight of the little, _his_ blond before him. And Niall hasn't changed much, though he's broader and toned and some how he's gotten even more handsome. Niall gasps and can hardly believe his eyes and he thinks to himself _is it really him_?? Liam is taller and muscular, but his eyes are the same warm and golden eyes that Niall fell in love with so many years ago.

Niall slowly walks towards Liam who scoops him up into his arms. Niall breathes him in and whispers, "I never stopped thinking about you, I just... I thought you forgot about me." Liam lifts Niall's chin and puts both of his hands on the boy's cheeks. "I could never forget about you." Niall looks up into Liam's eyes as Liam places a gentle kiss on his lips, causing the blond to sigh happily and wrap his arms around the brunette's neck. And it's like no time has passed at all and they are both lost in their own little world.

Harry, Louis and now even Zayn are staring with their mouths hanging open in disbelief. "Uhhh, Liam, this is Niall, Niall Liam." Liam and Niall break apart from one another quickly and laugh. "Sorry Louis! Niall and I went to summer camp together and..." "... And we fell in love, but we were too young to know about forever." Niall looks down at their hands intertwined and notices the blue bracelet wrapped around Liam's wrist. Niall ran his fingers over the threads and smiles "You're still wearing it." Niall says lifting his hand to show him the green bracelet Liam made for him all those years ago. "I promised to never take it off, and I meant it." Niall presses his forehead against Liam's. "I can't believe you're here, Li."

Harry, Louis and Zayn had a lot of questions of course, but let the two boys catch up. Harry gave Niall a tight hug and the blond was happy that he was matched with the curly haired boy for a roommate. Harry clapped his hands together excitedly "right, Zaynnnn didn't you say that you wanted to show me where the library is?" Harry gave his boyfriend a look. "Ohhh uhhh y.yeah!" Zayn said taking Harry's hand in his. "Uh yeah! Oh Danielle is texting me. I'll uh meet you guys later!" Louis says with a smile. "Great meeting you Niall."  
\---  
It feels like they've been walking for hours, but there is so much catching up to do. Niall told Liam about high school and how he had a difficult time being teased for being gay. He told Liam that he played music as a way to escape and that he's here on a full music scholarship. He told him that there were nights when he wanted nothing more than to call Liam, but he didn't; he was afraid. He told Liam that he kept every letter he ever sent him and that he never forgot their last night together.

Liam told Niall that in high school he tried to deny that he was gay, that he would go on dates with women, but no one ever compared to Niall. He told Niall that he was in school on a football (soccer) scholarship and that he wants to play professionally. He told Niall that he wanted to contact him so badly, but he never did; he was afraid.  He told Niall that he needed his best friend in high school, but all of that didn't matter now; they're together.

\---  
They both walked in a sort of comfortable silence across the campus and sat underneath a large tree. Liam tucks Niall close to his chest and wraps his strong arms around the smaller boy. And Niall remembers this, he remembers this feeling of content, utter devotion and love. "I... I still love you. Oh Liam, so, so much." "I love you too, Niall, I never stopped, I just sort of got lost in the woods." Both boys laugh remembering when they were 10-years-old and decided to sneak off into the woods to go exploring, which turned into a night spent in the dark woods, in the rain.

They sat under that tree form what seemed like hours and they kissed under the tree. They kissed on the park bench. They kissed in front of the library. They kissed on Niall's bed. They kissed in front of Harry, Louis and Zayn... Then they apologized for all the kissing, cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. But their friends got used to it; it was Liam and Niall, Niall and Liam: Niam. And their love was inspiring, magical, beautiful.

"Love is a choice we make with our hearts and ask our heads to be sensible enough to choose wisely. Love takes us places we never thought we would or could go. Love makes us strong. But it isn't love itself that is inherently magical; it's the people it traps inside its warm glow.  And you never know when love will eventually find you, but just remember that there is love, burning like a campfire on a cool summer night, waiting to share its warmth and glow." Harry Malik raised his glass, wiped a small tear from his eyes (he would later tell Danielle and Louis that he was simply suffering from allergies from being in the woods in spring, NOT crying) and toasted to Mr. & Mr. Liam James Payne.

\---  
Years down the road...

"There's my boy!" Liam threw his little 8-year-old son over his shoulder and carried him back to the car where Niall was waiting. "Did you have fun at camp?" "Yes dad! I had a great time! We went fishing and we made s'mores and..." "WAIT! Mr. Payne!" A little girl shouted. "Ri-ri!" "Natty!" Riley practically ran out of the car. "Don't forget me, okay!" Natalie leans over and gives Riley a kiss" before running away giggling. "Bye Riley!" "Bye Natalie!" Little Riley put his hand to his cheek and Liam laughs to himself when he noticed the woven pink bracelet around the young boy's wrist. Liam kisses his handsome husband and the three boys drive back home.

There are those places in life that you will never forget because they are embedded so deeply inside your memory that even if you close your eyes for just a second, you can easily be transported back in time and back to that place. And when Liam and Niall closer their eyes they go back to Camp Pinewood, back to the place where they laughed and played and fell in love.


End file.
